Blank feeding mechanism



Aug. 25, 1953 A. F. SHIELDS 2,550,093

BLANK FEEDING MECHANISM Filed March a, 1949 Dear-anus 015-300(- Patented Aug. 25, 1953 UNITED-'TVI'STATES PATENT OFFICE r S &' S Corrugated Paper Machinery 00., Inc.,

v Brooklyn Y., a corporation of New York My present invention relates'to blank feeding units of the type particularly adapted for use in paper box machines, and more specifically adaptable for use in connection with machines of the type shown in Patent 2,336,507.

The folding m'achine'int the aforesaid patent illustrates two types of blank feeding apparatus, the first a short stroke kicker adapted to remove blanks successively fr'omf the-I bottom. of a stack, and the second a chain carried slat adapted to move a blank over an extended path. 1

The first type of oscillatingkicker is generall adapted only to relatively short strokes where the blank is fed from a first position to a second position where feed' rollers V-LOI'" other elements -of the machine take ove1+"the movement of the blank, i iii. p e

The second type of feeding device is adapted to move a blank over anext'ended path.

My present invention relates primarily to" I oscillating type of 7 apparatus "adapted to move -a blank over a substantial' patlrmuch'greater than the distance over which oscillating kickers of the Prior art have been able to-operated Thus a primary object pf"my invention i's'thc provision of animproved longstroke oscillating feeding or blank'kicker devieei 7 One of theinherent' difiiculties encountered in prior art oscillating type'bia'nkreaasor kickers is that the oscillatingmovement of the kicker was usually thought to require" the utilization of oscillating ctuatmga psramsiand-tmseype of oscillating actuating-apparatus, to. the fact that it'was required to conieto restand reverse its operation twiceforn eachn blank that was fed, had adefinite' limitfto' it'siup'p'e'r speed.

Another and equally important object i of my invention is the iprovision of a; simplified continuously operating apparatus. 'f thefnon-oscil lating type in ordento actuate"a long stroke oscillating kicker fora blank ffee'cli'n'g unit. I

The foregoingand manyl other objects of' invention will become appare t'in the following detailed description taken i nnection with the figure in which a diagramm ticillustration r the operating principle is shown. in} sehe'rnatic form. I Referring to the figure, the feeding mechanism therein shown is illustrated inthe general form it would take if appliedto afolding-machine of the general type shown 'in'Patent2','336,507, with the kicker unit having a stroke of suchdistance that it may feed the'blank frorrithe stackupto the taping or stitching head atith'e opposite end of the folding machine. 1 he drive momma of the folding machine through the gear box-"H drivesshaft l2 carrying sprocket l3. Sprocket l3 operating from chain 14 drives sprocketl5 onshaft t6;"spr0cket if! on shaft; 18, 'sprockctls on shaft-=20; Sprocket i5 i Application March 3, 1949, Serial No. 79,427

.3 Claims. (01. 271-44) on shaft 16 may drive any suitable apparatus on Which the kicking mechanism is mounted.

Where the apparatus is a folding machine of the type of the aforesaid patent, then shaft It will drive the folding plates through appropriate gear or cam connections. Sprockets l1 and i9 drive the kicking or feeding mechanism. Since sprockets H, I 9 and [5 are all driven by the same chain l4, it is obvious that exact synchroe nism between the kicking or feeding mechanism and the remaining elements of the machine driven from shaft It will always be maintained.

Shafts l8" and 20 carry 'keyed theretoxthe counterbalanced crank arm 22 and 23." The outer end of each crank arm 22 and 23 has a laterally directed pin 24, 'directedtoward the side of the crank arm opposite the associated sprockets l1 and [9 respectively.

Consequently no interference will occur between shafts 20 and I8 and'the' chain as theoperations hereinafter described take place.

Pins 24 and 25 each carry the rotatable'lug 21, 28 respectively. Chain 30a is connected at one end to the self-adjusting spring'3 I; the opposite end of which is'connected to lug 21. 'Chain 36b is connected at one'endto the self-adjusting spring 311), the opposite end of which is connected to lug 28. There is a variation in length of chain path for different crank positions due to angularity. Springs}! and 3lb take up this difference. Also and preferably, idlers 36 or 33 may be spring loaded and biased outwardly to take up this length variation. 4

Chain 30a is laid over idling sprocket 32 on shaft 33 and is connected to the trailing end of the feeder carriage 34.

Chain 30b is laid over idling sprocket 35 on shaft 36 and is connected to the leading end 31 of the feeder carriage 34. The feeder carriage 34 carries on its underside any appropriate means such as the rollers 38, 38 riding in tracks 39 to support the same in a friction reducing manner for longitudinal oscillating movement.

Feeder carriage 34 .carries the feed slat 4% at its trailing end. Feed slat 40 may have any appropriate arrangement enabling it to move a blank in the direction indicated by arrow 4|. The feed slat 40 may be flexibly or resiliently mounted either on a resilient member 42 or pivotally on a cross-bar 43 to enable it appropriately to grasp the trailing portion of a blank.

Sprocket 45 is an idling sprocket arranged so that 'a drive chain I 4 obtains an' appropriate wrap around the sprockets l1 and I9. It will be seen that owing to the manner in which chain I4 is wrappedaround sprockets I1 and I9, these sprockets are driven in an opposite direction.

Thecrank arms 22 and 23 are so mounted on the'oppositely driven shafts l8 and 2%] that as the end 25 of crank arm 23 approaches towards sprocket 35, the end 24 of crank arm 22 moves away from sprocket 32 and as the end 24 of crank arm 22 moves toward sprocket 32, the end 25 of crank arm 23 moves away from sprocket 35. Consequently the continuous rotating motion of crank arms 22 and 23 is translated into continuous reciprocating motion of the composite chain and hence of the carriage 34.

It will also be seen that as the end of each stroke is approached, as shown in solid lines in the figure, the relative motion of the ends of the crank arms toward and away from the respective sprockets 32 and 35 is decreased owing to the arrangement of the orbits of the ends of the crank arms 22 and 23. This results in a gradual stop and a gradual start of the feeder carriage 34 at the end and beginning of each stroke. The maximum speed of the feeder carriage 34 is attained at about the middle of the stroke and again there is a gradual slowing down through zero and a gradual speeding up once more.

By this means therefore the blank is first engaged at relatively low speed, is then moved at high speed, and the forward motion of the feeder carriage is decelerated gradually rather than suddenly.

The same type of operation during the return stroke also serves to decrease the mechanical shock on the mechanism thereby prolonging the life of the mechanism.

By this means therefore I provide a simplified kicker or feeding mechanism which may have as long a stroke as desired which engages the blank slowly, feeds it rapidly, and then decelerates gradually, and which operates entirely in response to a continuously constant speed rotating member.

In the foregoing I have described my invention solely in connection with the specific illustrative embodiment thereof. Since many variations and modifications of my invention will now be obvious to those skilled in the art, I prefer tobe bound not by the specific disclosures herein contained, but only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A machine for operating on box blanks; said machine comprising a blank feeding carriage; a feed slat secured to said carriage; said carriage being movable along a line transverse to the main axis of the feed slat; a flexible longitudinal member connected at each end'of the carriage and extending along the line of the path of travel of the carriage beyond each end of the carriage; a first rotatable crank member operating in an orbit which is included in the plane of movement of said flexible longitudinal member and connected to a free end of said flexible longitudinal member; a second rotatable crank member operating in an orbit coplanar with the orbit of the first crank member but in an opposite direction and connected to the other free end of said flexible longitudinal member; said cranks during rotation each going through a half cycle in which it pulls on its end of the flexible longitudinal member and a half cycle in which it permits its end of the flexible longitudinal member to be pulled; said pulling half cycles being alternated for each crank; and guide means for said flexible longitudinal member at each end of the path of travel of the carriage confining the portion of the flexible longitudinal member between said guide means in a straight line.

2. A machine for operating on box blanks; said machine comprising a blank feeding carriage; a

feed slat secured to said carriage; said carriage being movable along a line transverse to the main axis ofthe feed sl'atfa flexible longitudinal member connected at "each end of the carriage and extending along the line of the path of travel of the carriage beyond each end of the carriage; a first rotatable crank member operating in an orbit which is included in the plane of movement of said flexible longitudinal member and connected to a free end of said flexible longitudinal member; a second rotatable crank member operating in an orbit coplanar with the orbit of the first crank member but in an opposite direction and connected to the other free end of said flexible longitudinal member; said cranks during rotation each going through a half cycle in which it pulls on its end of the flexible longitudinal member and a half cycle in which it permits its end of the flexible longitudinal member to be pulled; said pulling half cycles being alternated for each crank; and guide means for said flexible longitudinal member .at each end of the path of travel of the carriage confining the portion of the flexible longitudinal member between said guide means in a straight line; said crank members being located below said carriage; said guide means at each end of the machine guiding the flexible longitudinal member to the crank adjacent said end.

3. A machine for operating on box blanks; said machine comprising a blank feeding carriage; a feed slat secured to said carriage; said carriage being movable along a line transverse tothe main axis of the feed slat; a flexible longitudinal member connected at each end of the carriage and extending along the line of the path of travel of the carriage beyond each end of the carriage; a first rotatable crank member operating in an orbit which is included in the plane of movement of said flexible longitudinal member and connected to a free end of said flexible longitudinal member; a second rotatable crank member operating in an orbit coplanar with the orbit of the first crank member but in an opposite direction and connected to the other free end of said flexible longitudinal member; said cranks during rotation each going through a half cycle in which it pulls on its end of the flexible longitudi nal member and a half cycle in which it permits its end of the flexible longitudinal member to be pulled; said pulling half cycles being alternated for each crank; and guide means for said flexible longitudinal member at each end of the'path of travel of the carriageconflning the portion of the flexible longitudinal member between said guide means in a straight line; said crank members being located below said carriage; said guide means at each end of the machine guiding the flexible longitudinal member to the crank adjacent said end; said connection at each crank between the flexible longitudinal member and the crank including a resilient member.

ALBERT F. SHIELDS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

